Aubrey Plaza Gives Her Most Moving Performance in This New-to-Prime 2024 Comedy (2025)

2024 has been a busy year for Aubrey Plaza. She had a major role in Agatha All Along as the green witch Rio Vidal, who was really Death all along - and one of the best parts of the series, to boot. She also turned out to be one of the better parts of Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis; while much of the film is either so on the nose it's laughable or falls far short of Coppola's other films, Plaza gives a scene-stealing performance as amoral reporter Wow Platinum. But before both of these roles, Plaza starred in My Old Ass, which not only puts a unique spin on the coming-of-age genre but also lets her deliver one of the best performances in her career.

My Old Ass centers on Elliott (Maisy Stella), who's celebrating her 18th birthday with her friends Ruthie (Maddie Ziegler) and Ro (Kerrice Brooks). The trio ends up drinking tea brewed from hallucinogenic mushrooms that Ro brought along, and Elliott ends up encountering her future self (played by Plaza). This leads to a series of misadventures where Elliott attempts to figure out her future, and some emotional revelations along the way.

Aubrey Plaza Delivers an Emotionally Devastating Performance in 'My Old Ass'

The thing that stands out in My Old Ass is that it's one of the films where Plaza breaks from the character type she's established in other projects. Most of her roles embody a darkly sarcastic outlook on life, whether it's April Ludgate on Parks and Recreation or Julie Powers in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. But while she's stepped out of this boundary before, particularly with Emily the Criminal, My Old Ass takes it in a further direction by having the future Elliott act as a sort of guide to her younger self. Older Elliott doesn't claim that she holds all the answers, but she knows that there are moments that she ends up regretting and tries to steer her younger self into not making the mistakes she did, including spending more time with her family. It helps that Plaza and Maisy have a great rapport with each other; the way they trade inquiries and/or barbs, combined with their physical movements, is enough to sell that they're playing two different versions of the same person.

But Plaza also steps up to the plate when it's time for the biggest reveal of the film. When they first meet, older Elliott tells her younger self to avoid a boy named Chad. Soon after, Elliott goes skinny-dipping and winds up meeting a boy named Chad (Percy Hynes White), who she's attracted to; this causes all sorts of panic, as she not only feels that she's messing up her future, but she's also been hooking up with Chelsea (Alexandria Rivera), a girl she's had a crush on since the 8th grade. Eventually, older Elliott reveals that she failed to save Chad's life in the future, and she wants to spare her younger self the pain of losing him. This leads to the most heartwrenching moment of My Old Ass, when the older Elliott meets Chad and hugs him while breaking down sobbing. Plaza's performance is so raw, so utterly human, that for a minute you forget you're watching a movie and get swept up in the release of emotion.

The Director of 'My Old Ass' Delivered Another Emotionally Devastating Film With 'The Fallout'

My Old Ass is the second feature film by Megan Park, and it's not the first time Park has pushed an actor outside their comfort zone. For her directorial debut, The Fallout, Park hones in on the aftermath of a school shooting, and how it affects teenager Vada (Jenna Ortega). The Fallout explores how Vada chooses to deal with, or not deal with, her trauma: she takes drugs, she tries to start a relationship with her classmate Quinton (Niles Fitch) and she lashes out at her friend Nick (Will Ropp) when he tries to help her. It's all brought to life in an emotionally devastating performance from Ortega, and it's a far cry from the pessimistic teenagers she plays in Wednesday and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

My Old Ass doesn't just cap a trio of amazing performances from Aubrey Plaza this year, but it shows that she has immense range and can rise to nearly any challenge thrown at her. It's also a unique spin on the coming-of-age genre that's equal parts hilarious and heartwrenching - and worth a watch.

810

My Old Ass

Not Rated

Comedy

Elliott Labrant, who has been advised by her future self not to fall in love, is sure she can do so after being given the advice. That is, until she meets the boy her older self warned her about.

Release Date

January 20, 2024

Director

Megan Park

Cast

Maisy Stella , Percy Hynes White , Maddie Ziegler , Seth Isaac Johnson , Kerrice Brooks , Aubrey Plaza

Runtime

88 Minutes

My Old Ass is available to stream on Prime Video in the U.S.

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